


A Good Man

by noxrae



Category: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Gen, Post-Awakening, this isn't explicitly chrobin but you can read it that way too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-04
Updated: 2017-07-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 05:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11395857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noxrae/pseuds/noxrae
Summary: With the Grimleal disbanded, Grima defeated, and Ylisse's future and safety assured, life across all reaches of the continent has returned to normal. Robin, retrieved a month ago after his long absence following the Shepherds' final battle, now has an uncomfortable amount of time left alone to his thoughts, and his questions always circle back to what is left unanswered about his past. Chrom has finally decided that it's time to consult his tactician to find out what's wrong.





	A Good Man

Robin often spent cool evenings such as this outside of the castle and on the grassy grounds. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable indoors, of course. As a tactician, he was accustomed to dimly lit rooms, crammed full of maps and books and quite often other people, and never did he feel suffocated while working in his element. That said, leaving the castle still felt like a breath of fresh air. As twilight fell, the man walked past gates and guards, handing out polite greetings as he went, before coming to a stop at a small ledge that overlooked the sinking sun. With a small groan, he leaned down carefully and took a seat, his cloak settling around his legs. 

He sat like this for a while, watching the sky turn from blue to orange, then as the hues darkened to red and streaked the clouds with pink. It was times like these that Robin was most appreciative of everything he and the Shepherds had been through. These quiet, peaceful moments were no longer threatened by an impending apocalypse. He understood that he was pivotal to the assurance that the future would never be plagued by Grima's darkness again, and he knew that even if he hadn't woken up on another sunny field, it still would have all been worth it. It was for this reason that he had been most grateful of his return a month ago and his chance to experience the future he helped build. And yet...

"Hey."

The deep voice startled Robin out of his musings. He glanced over his shoulder, then smiled when he recognized the tall figure silhouetted by the red sky.

"Good evening, Chrom. Can't say I expected to see you out here."

"I could say the same to you," Chrom started as he strolled over, "but that would be a lie. You've been spending a lot of time at this spot, haven't you?" He took a seat on Robin's right, stretching his legs out in front of him as he leaned back on his arms.

"What can I say?" Robin chuckled as he turned his head back towards the sunset. "It's a beautiful view. It's not so bad to go from the war room to this."

Chrom nodded in absentminded agreement, but he seemed too distracted to pay much heed to the painted sky his companion was admiring. "It is a nice place." His gaze shifted back to Robin's face. "But I know you, and I'm sure that there's more going on in your head than just the scenery."

The way the corners of Robin's lips tightened slightly was a subtle but absolute confirmation. "You aren't wrong. But a tactician should always be thinking, right?"

"You're not planning tactics here," he responded with just a hint of exasperation. "I know you well enough to know that you've been out here thinking a lot more personally than where our troops should be deployed next." He turned his body to face his friend now. "I came out here to find you because as your Exalt and your closest friend, it's my job to hear what I can do for you. And you have more than enough reason to be thinking like this. By the gods, you practically came back from the dead!"

Robin tried to shrug it off as he let his gaze wander back upwards, avoiding eye contact with the insistent prince. "I promise I'm not trying to be selfish or self-sacrificing here. I've done enough of that already." He made quick eye contact, but the weak joke hadn't provoked any sort of reaction, so he looked away once more. "No, it's nothing important like that. Just some unanswered questions."

"Ah." Chrom nodded in understanding. It was true that Robin was still a mysterious individual despite the many answers they had gotten about aspects of his past. "How long has this been bothering you?"

Robin rubbed small circles on the back of his hand with his thumb where the mark had once been as he pondered the question. "Oh, the last couple weeks, I suppose?" The circles started to get faster. "It's just... strange, you know. To know that you were marked the moment you were born. To meet, and speak with, and kill another version of yourself that took the wrong path..." His voice wavered a bit, but he continued to act as if they were discussing the weather. "To know that maybe the only reason you turned out alright was that you couldn't remember anything about your old life."

Chrom was taken aback. "How can you think that? Robin, memory or no memory, you're a good man," he insisted. Robin cut him off.

"That's what the mystery for me is. Maybe it really was all dependent on my memory." Chrom looked ready to interject, but Robin pressed on. "Please, hear me out. It would be ridiculous for me to deny that I've done good things, and I'm proud to be nothing like Validar or Grima. But I still have one pressing question, and I've been sitting here every night trying to answer it."

"And that is?"

"That Robin from the first timeline, the one we fought... I got premonitions after he tried and failed to pass on his memories. That's where I got the amnesia," he said, tapping his head. "And you know that. We used those memories to save your life. But as I replay that, I can't help but think to myself, 'What's really so different about how it happened then and how it happened the second time?'"

"What does that have to do with- oh." Chrom whispered the last word as he finally realized what he was saying. "Your memories."

"Yeah." Robin shifted, feeling awkward now that the illusion of aloofness was gone. Chrom sure had a way with being direct. "The first Robin still became your tactician and still ended up battling at the altar. And we all know how he turned out."

Chrom needed a moment to formulate a response. This was something that had never even occurred to him. Of course, he reasoned, Robin was a thinker. It was only logical that he would try to piece together his old identity from the little he had learned since then. Comparing and contrasting the experiences of his two iterations was one way to go about it. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "You two still could have had different experiences from the time you met me. I wouldn't make the leap that it all lies in your past."

"I appreciate it, Chrom," he answered just a tad wearily. "But there are still more questions, even just in this timeline. For example..." He stretched his left arm out, letting the sleeve hang straight down. The three violet eyes of Grima were clear as day on the black canvas. "Why do I have this? These are Plegian robes. Validar said my mother took me far from the country, but these tell me that didn't stay true. Not to mention that his hierophant wore the exact same ones." He didn't need to say the rest of what that statement implied.  _The other me we fought wore the exact same ones._

"Hm." Chrom couldn't come up with a response, so he let him continue.

"Also, why did I know a thing about tactics?" he continued, agitated. "Tome magic, swordplay, those have reasonable explanations. Of course I would know self-defense if I was running from a cult. But tactics? What purpose would a runaway have to learn how to command an army?" He let it hang in the air for a moment as he regathered some of his lost composure. "Sorry, I'm a little worked up. But the worst part is that I still can't answer these questions. I don't know why I was in a field. I don't know who or where my mother is or if she's even alive. I don't know what or who I got involved with before you all found me. But the more I try to answer that question, the more I believe that I don't want to know." He folded his knees to his chest and leaned his head on them, and although his eyes were trained on the darkening horizon, they were glassed over with a faraway look. 

"Robin." Chrom reached out a hand and planted it reassuringly on his shoulder. "You should have told me sooner."

Robin turned his head and met Chrom's eyes, letting out an airy chuckle. "Yeah. I'm not sure why I held out. Old habits, I suppose. Bad habits."

Chrom gave Robin's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "It's what friends are here for. You didn't really forge all these bonds for nothing, did you? You can use them for more than coming back from the dead, you know."  The corners of Robin's eyes crinkled with a smile at this comment. Chrom returned the grin. "Let me ask you something, Robin."

"Yes?"

"Are you a good person?"

"All these concerns aside... I've been told that by more than one person."

"And do you believe it?"

"...Yes."

"Then there's your answer." Chrom slapped his friend on the back, then withdrew his hand, leaning back on both arms again. "I can't answer your questions about your past, and unless your amnesia ever resolves, you won't either. But if it helps, then picture your amnesia as a new awakening."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that it's absolute proof that you're a good man. Whether you make the assumption that you were good or bad before, it didn't matter once you forgot. But when I first met you, you valued honesty and innocent lives, and you were eager to have a chance to head a force that does good for Ylisse. At your core, when all your experiences are stripped away, that's the person you are."

Robin nodded, feeling something in his chest ease. "Chrom... thank you." He stood up, dusting off the hem of his cloak with the back of his hand before offering it to him. "For everything."

"Of course." Chrom grabbed the outstretched hand and hoisted himself back up. The two of them stood for just a moment, watching as the sun dipped below the skyline and the first stars began to speck the sky. Then, without a word, the two of them turned back towards the castle.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading to the end!
> 
> As much as I love Awakening, I have some grievances with how it handled its writing, and one of those things for me is Robin's potential. I wanted to try addressing the lack of clarification about the differences between the two Robins and their pasts in a canon context, and I hope that I was able to deliver. It's written from the view of m!Robin since that was how I played my first run of the game, but if anybody would like to see it with female or gender neutral pronouns, let me know!
> 
> I'm an m!Chrobin shipper myself, but I wanted to write this scene in a more platonic context. Feel free to read it either way, though!
> 
> Comments and criticism are much appreciated!


End file.
